Minnow bucket



E- L. GooDE MINNOW BUCKET March 4, 1952 Filed May 8' 1948 IN1/'EN TOR,

Patented Mar. 4, 1952 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE MINNOW BUCKET Ernest L. Goode, Joplin, Mo.

Application May 8, 1948, Serial No. 25,940 4 claims. (ci. 43-5'u This invention relates to new and useful improvements in minnow buckets. and has particular reference to means for conditioning the water in a, vminnow bucket to sustain life in the minnows or other aquatic bait animals carried in said water.

The principal object of the present invention is the provision of a minnow bucket having means whereby thewater is sprayed through the air and returned to the bucket, said water thereby being thoroughly aerated.

Another object is the provision of a minnow bucket having means whereby the water therein is directed in a finely divided sprayfagainst la fabric member exposed to the atmosphere, said fabric member thereby being cooled by evaporation, and said water thereby being thoroughly aerated and cooled.

A further object is the provision of a minnow bucket wherein water contained in said bucket' is sprayed through a nozzle by the action of a piston operating in a cylinder, andfa resilient member adapted to urge said piston through its stroke, said cylinder being of relatively large capacity and said nozzle being of relatively small capacity, whereby a continuous spray may be obtained by only occasionally retractin'g said pis` ton to compress said resilient member.

A still further object is the provision of a minnow bucket having a removable fabric cover, means for spraying the water in said bucket against said fabric cover for aerating and cooling, and automatic means for deectingfsaid spray downwardly into the bucket whenever'said cover is removed. "j

Other objects are simplicity andeconomy of construction, and ease and convenience of operation.

With these objects in view, as well as other objects which will appear in the course of the specication, reference will be had to the drawing, wherein:

'Figure l is a side elevation of a minnow bucket embodying the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a sectional view taken on line II--II of Fig. l.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged sectional view taken on line III-III of Fig. 2, with Aparts left in elevation.

Fig. 4 isan enlarged vertical mid-sectionof the check valve structure.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary section taken on line V-V of Fig. 3, with` the bucket cover removed.

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary section taken on line,

2 its operative position in solid lines :and in its inoperative position in dotted lines.

Like reference numerals apply to similar parts throughout the several views, and the numeral 2 applies to a cylindrical bucket or other container of ordinary form. A hollow cylindrical member 4 is rigidly xed to the outer surface of bucket 2, being disposed parallelto the axis of said bucket. Said cylinder is closed at its lower end and pro-f jects upwardly above the top of the bucket. being provided at its upper end with a screw cap 6. A piston rod 8 disposed axially in cylinder 4 and provided at its upwardly extended end with a manual operating handle I0, projects slidably downwardly through cap 6 into cylinder 4, and carries at its lower end a piston I2 which iits snugly for sliding movement in said cylinder. A helical compression spring I4 is disposed about piston rod 8, bearing at its upper end against cap 6 and at its lower end against piston I2. Said spring is adapted to urge said piston downwardly at all times. A tube I6 disposed within bucket 2 is connected at its upper end with cylinder 4 adjacent the upper end thereof., and extends to a point well below the normal water level I8 in said bucket.

As best shown lin Figs. 3 and 4, tube 20 is inter-l connected at one end with cylinder 4 adjacent the lower end thereof, and at its other end with a check valve body 22 disposed in. and adjacent the bottom of bucket 2. Said valve body presents horizontal passageway 24 interconnected at-on end with tube 20 andyfprovided adjacent its op'- posite end with an oriii'ee 26 vadapted to be closed by a swinging gate 28 pivotally supported in valve body 22 at 30. Said gate is not only adapted to permit the flow of water from the bucket to the cylinder 4, but to swing closed to prevent a reverse flow. The open end of passageway 524 is provided with a screen 58 secured thereover by cap 60, said screen being adapted to prevent the passage of minnows or other foreign matter into the valve body.

.Valve passageway 24 is interconnected at a point intermediate cylinder 4 and gate 28 with an upwardly .extending transverse passageway 82, said passagewayjbeing adapted to be closed at its upper end by` a spherical ball 34 which normally rests bygravity in a seat 6 formed in said body member. Said ball is adapted to be raised from its seat by the upward ilow of water through pas-f sageway 32. but to seat by gravity to prevent any downwardilow. Water ilowing past ball. passes upwardly through a tube 38 which extends vertically,upwardlyl a point adjacent tlieitop` of the bucket, and is provided at its upper end with a nozzle 4U adapted to produce a ne spray. Tubes I6 and 38 are supported intermediate their ends by a bracket 39 fixed to the inner wall of bucket 2.

Bucket 2 is provided with an inwardly extending annular flange 42 adjacent the top thereof, said flange being adapted to support a cover 44. Said cover comprises a sheet of canvas 46 or other suitablefabric tted over a wire framework comprising a wire ring 48 adapted to rest on flange 42 and a plurality of wires D fixed at circumferentially spaced points to said ring and converging inwardly and upwardly. Said framework ispro- .v

videdl at its top with a handle 52 by means of which the cover may be lifted fromy or placed over the bucket. The cover is thus substantially conical, but any other suitable shape could vbe used.` This shape provides a greater surface area for the evaporative cooling hereinafter described than could be obtained with a flat cover. vThe minnow bucket is provided with the usual carryiri'gbail 54 pivotally carried by brackets 56 fixed to bucket 2 and cylinder 4. Thus' when piston I2 is raised in cylinder 4 against the pressure 'of spring I4 `by means of handle I0, a partial vacuum is formed beneath said piston, check valve ball '34 being seated therebyY to lprevent the downward ow of air and water through 'tube 38 and gate 28 being pivoted opento permit the flow ofwater through screen 58, orice 26,'passageway 24, and tube 2E! into cylinder 4. At the same time, air disposed in cyinder `4 above piston l2 is forced through tube I6 and bubbles through the water' inthe bucket to aerateit. Furthermore, any water which may haveleaked past piston I2 is returned to bucket 2- through tube I'S. When handle I@ is released, piston I2 is. urged downwardly by spring i4. "The pressure thus caused'in the water contained in Athe cylinder closesjcheck valve vgate 28 and forces Y and's'ince nozzle 40 has a low capacity, the down-v ward travel of piston I 2 Vis quite slow, and a continuousspray maybe'maintained by only occasionally raising'handle I0; Normally there will be siiicient leakage of air around piston rod 8 into the upper portion of cylinder 4 to prevent water'from being drawn into the cylinder through tube I6,`but eventhough it should bev drawn'into thecylinder, it will be returned to the bucket by the next upward stroke of the piston.

Referring toV Figs. 3, 5 and 6, 'it will be seen that a spray deflector plate 62 is carriedfby bucket fadjacent nozzle 40, beine pivotally connected by means of pin v64 to a bracket 65 'welded or otherwise rigidlysecured tothe lower surface of flange' 42'.' Said del'ector plate is adapted to be movedfbygravity from an elevatedposition substantially out of, the path'of the spray from` said nozzle, as shown'in Fig. .3i and in dotted lines in Fig; 6,"to an operative position Adirectly before the spraynczzle as shown in solidlines in Fig. 6, wherein it deects'the'spray from said nozzle downwardly into bucket 2. Said deector plate is provided with an arm 63 extending oppositely from pivot 64 and adapted to lie against the upper surface of flange 42 when dei-lector plate 62 is in its elevated position, and to be retained in said position by the weight of cover 44 resting thereon as shown in Fig. 3. Whenever the operator removes cover 44 to obtain bait, dei'lector plate 62 moves automatically to its operative position, delecting thespray downwardly, thereby preventing the loss of water and wetting of the operator.

vAlthough a specific embodiment of my invention has been disclosed, it is readily apparent that many minor variations of construction and operation could be made without departing from the spirit of the invention.

What Iclaim is:

l. A minnow bucket comprising an opentopped container for water, a removable cover for said container comprising a sheet of fabric mounted over a suitable framework, means for spraying water from said container upwardly against the inner vsurface of said vfabric cover. whereby said water is aerated and cooled, and automatic means for'deflecting said spray downwardly whenever said cover is removed.

2. A minnow bucket comp-rising an openv topped container for water, a removable fabric topped container for water, a removable fabric cover for said container, a hollow cylindrical member carried by said container, a piston carried in said cylinder, manual means for retract` ing said piston to draw waterfrom said container into said cylinder ahead of vsaid piston, a spray nozzle disposed in said container and adapted todirect a spray against the inner surface of said fabric cover, said nozzle being interconnected `with said cylinder ahead of said piston, an'd spring means for advancing said piston to supply water under pressure to said nozzle.

4. A minnowV bucket comprising an open--Y topped container for water, ar `removable, fabric cover for `said container, al hollow cylindrical member carried outside of said container, a piston carried for sliding movementl in said cylinder. manual means for retracting said piston, a spring adapted to .advance said piston, tubular means interconecting the lower portion of said container with said cylinder at a point ahead of said piston through which water flows into said cylinder as said piston is retracted, a checkv valve in said tubular means for preventing reverse flow, a spray Y nozzle disposed in said container above thewa-V ter level therein and adapted to direct a spray against Vthe inner surface of 'saidV fabric cover, tubular' means interconnecting sa-id nozzle 4with said cylinder ahead of saidpiston through, which water under pressure'is supplied tol said nozzle assaid piston advances, a check valve in said last named tubular means to prevent reverse f lc'w an'V open *tube `intercon'nectecl at one vend. with said cylinder 'ata point behind said piston andex- 4 6 tending at its opposite end beneath the Water UNITED STATES PATENTS level in said container, and automatic means for Number Name Date deecting the spray from said nozzle downwardly 546,883 Gunther Sept 24, 1895 into said container whenever said fabric cover 723,093 White Man 17J 1903 1S femOVed- 6 1,068,362 ORieiy July 22, 1913 ERNEST L- GOODE 1,198,898 Dmey sept. 19, 1916 1 1,393,226 Leavitt Oct. 11, 1921 REFERENCES CITED 1,502,066 smith July 22, 1924 The following references are of record in the 2,261,830 Dtner Nov. 4, 1941 file of this patent: l0 2,466,570 Blicker et a1 Apr. 5, 1949 

